Novice

Ayrshire federation liberated at Gretna at 06:45.

Great news.

All the best Andy.

For the first time ever last year I did not race youngsters. They were trained in every possible direction to about 50 miles. This year I lost a few at the early races but the remainder flew well as yearlings.

That's a very open question is it not. For me the worst illnesses would be those which are not obvious at first. If you have an acute illness it is obvious the birds are unwell so you do not race and look for a cure. With something less obvious fanciers will take some time to realise that they have a problem.

Well done and well deserved.

and while I am on a roll the person you were empathising with on another site Posted a video of himself dosing youngsters with Soda crystals as a cure for YBS no less than 10 days ago but he raced this week. What chance do other fanciers have as I am more than certain the affected birds will carry the virus for some time.

Robert we have not been at Dumfries for some time now. Last year we flew east. Lanarkshire had a similar race to ourselves and Glasgow were much better liberating between us and Lanarkshire. Straight east to west along the M8 was the best young bird racing we have ever had but the majority of fanciers will not vote for that. As you know these issues are decided at AGMs and unfortunately the right to vote is not qualified by an appropriate IQ test. As you know I tend to do most of my training along the M8 as that is the safest route.

Ayrshire returns are poor even though they cleared the liberation site quickly. At the moment I have 2 from 9 sent and I am having a rethink now as to whether or not to race them as youngsters and simply train them. My youngsters were trained only last year and flew well as old birds. Food for thought I think.

Ayrshire will liberate at 12:15 from Dumfries.

No problem Mike it's just unfortunate we don't have a better system of communication with others who might also be training from this area.

Ayrshire are at Dumfries with 1400 pigeons. I believe the weather in Dumfries is starting to clear now but the Ayrshire end is misty. At this point in time I have no idea when we will liberate but a best guess would be after 10:00. Lanarkshire are at Otterburn with about 5000 pigeons.

I would think that the committee should be able to confirm the identity of their accuser simply by asking the RPRA for this information. They are members and contribute significantly to the organisation via membership and ring sales.

Just one of these things Andy. Unfortunately you will never completely know the logic behind any decision which is a pity. I know the controller of one federation prepares a report as he goes along and mails this to the secretary at the time of liberation. That protects him and allows the committee to understand his logic. It also ensures that information for any enquiry into a poor race is readily available and cannot be corrupted after the event.

5 AM seemed just a wee bit early to me. Perhaps a good Idea in future would be to let the large convoy clear out first. This is only if this can be done. This is not a criticism by any means.

She is definitely on the ball. She even spotted a mistake I made in my underpayment for the Buckingham race----well done to Mary.

Fantastic result for one of the longest flying birds in the race. It obviously left the race basket and made all the right decisions to get home before the remainder of the Convoy. Very well done to you.

You could try easitox from Hyperdrug http://www.hyperdrug.co.uk/images/Easitox_1.gif

The wind seems very variable and the prediction of 12 hours into Lanarkshire may not be far off the mark but I think we need to be ready for a fast one as some birds may just hit a favourable wind depending on which route they come.

From what I know the partnership is already working well so the results are sure to come!

I believe the main benefit of feeding hemp lies in the fact that it has a higher content of omega 3 fatty acids than any other seed/grain. I also believe that after the bird burns it's store of carbohydrates it then relies on stored fatty acids for fuel. It needs about 3 grams per hours of these for flight. I also believe that it uses omega 3 before omega 6 before omega 9. The above is also the reason why we should be feeding high fat mixes in the transporter to ensure the birds have fuel for their flight home.

Good luck at the new location.

Are there legal guidelines associated with the use of barbed wire? Maybe I should not raise this as I have broken glass on a sandstone wall.

I would agree with that philosophy!

I think visibility at Ypres and the south coast is poor on Saturday. At the moment Sunday looks the most likely bet. Either day the wind will be westerly and it could readily predict where the winner will lie.